2011 Dodge Durango - Official Photos and Info
The 2011 Durango trades truck underpinnings for a unibody chassis shared with the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee.
BY DAVID GLUCKMAN
September 2010
Don’t be alarmed if you think the 2011 Dodge Durango looks a lot like a stretched Jeep Grand Cherokee with a crosshair grille, because that’s essentially what it is. While the underpinnings are largely shared, Dodge tells us that the Durango is more focused on hauling people—it has three rows to the Grand Cherokee’s two—than crawling over rocks. And so while Jeep boasts about off-road capability, Dodge will play up the crossovery-ness and on-road performance of the Durango.
After taking a pass on the 2010 model year, the third-generation Durango appears thirteen years after the original model was introduced. Unlike the body-on-frame SUV it replaces, the 2011 Durango now sits on a unibody platform that it and the Grand Cherokee share with the Mercedes-Benz M- and GL-classes. The base engine will be Chrysler’s new 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 while the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 continues as the optional engine, just as with the Jeep. All-wheel drive will be optional, but Dodge won’t give specifics on what types of systems will be offered. We expect some sharing with the Grand Cherokee, with Jeep reserving for itself the more capable, off-road-oriented transfer cases. An optional air suspension also is likely for the Durango, especially given its claimed performance intentions and the availability of such a system on the GC. Towing capacity is quoted as 6200 pounds with the V-6 and 7400 pounds with the Hemi, which is down slightly from its truck-based predecessor. A trailer-sway-control system will be standard.
The styling is bold if a bit softer than the Grand Cherokee’s. The Durango finally loses the two-level front end that previously tied its look to those of the Dakota (on which it was based) and the larger Ram. Grille inserts on the model shown here have a chain-link appearance, and the front fascia extends low to the ground, giving a hunkered-down look and presumably helping with aerodynamics. There are striking similarities to the Grand Cherokee in the rear, with wraparound taillamps bridged by a chrome bar. We haven’t gotten a look at the interior yet, but we expect it to be very similar in style and execution to that of—you guessed it—the new Grand Cherokee.
What’s in a Badge?
This new Durango also marks the debut of a new Dodge logo. Recall that Ram has (sort of) been pulled out as its own brand within the Chrysler empire, and that the Durango will be lumped in with the car offerings. So Rams and Dakotas keep the ram’s head logo and the Dodge lineup goes to a similarly shaped crest with “Dodge” centered over crosshairs.
We also noticed that the Durango pictured here wears Citadel badges on the back as well as on the front doors. The folks at Dodge won’t tell us what Citadel means, but it’s clearly a trim level for the SUV—we’d venture to guess that it’s the highest, given all of the brightwork and big wheels. (The Citadel name previously was used on a Chrysler concept that presaged the production Pacifica.) Let’s just hope the other Durango trim names were selected with more thought than those for the rest of Dodge’s current lineup—recent trademark filings for Durango Heat and Durango Express do not have us hopeful, however.
The Durango will come with a full complement of airbags and also will offer blind-spot monitoring, forward-collision warning, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-path detection, and keyless entry and start. It will go on sale toward the end of 2010 as a 2011 model. Based on our positive experiences with the new Grand Cherokee, this Durango seems far better equipped to battle the Honda Pilots and Mazda CX-9s of the world than anything that’s ever worn a Dodge badge.
Youtube link..SPY SHOTS ONLY....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8vYYRPaALI&feature=related
The 2011 Durango trades truck underpinnings for a unibody chassis shared with the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee.
BY DAVID GLUCKMAN
September 2010
Don’t be alarmed if you think the 2011 Dodge Durango looks a lot like a stretched Jeep Grand Cherokee with a crosshair grille, because that’s essentially what it is. While the underpinnings are largely shared, Dodge tells us that the Durango is more focused on hauling people—it has three rows to the Grand Cherokee’s two—than crawling over rocks. And so while Jeep boasts about off-road capability, Dodge will play up the crossovery-ness and on-road performance of the Durango.
After taking a pass on the 2010 model year, the third-generation Durango appears thirteen years after the original model was introduced. Unlike the body-on-frame SUV it replaces, the 2011 Durango now sits on a unibody platform that it and the Grand Cherokee share with the Mercedes-Benz M- and GL-classes. The base engine will be Chrysler’s new 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 while the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 continues as the optional engine, just as with the Jeep. All-wheel drive will be optional, but Dodge won’t give specifics on what types of systems will be offered. We expect some sharing with the Grand Cherokee, with Jeep reserving for itself the more capable, off-road-oriented transfer cases. An optional air suspension also is likely for the Durango, especially given its claimed performance intentions and the availability of such a system on the GC. Towing capacity is quoted as 6200 pounds with the V-6 and 7400 pounds with the Hemi, which is down slightly from its truck-based predecessor. A trailer-sway-control system will be standard.
The styling is bold if a bit softer than the Grand Cherokee’s. The Durango finally loses the two-level front end that previously tied its look to those of the Dakota (on which it was based) and the larger Ram. Grille inserts on the model shown here have a chain-link appearance, and the front fascia extends low to the ground, giving a hunkered-down look and presumably helping with aerodynamics. There are striking similarities to the Grand Cherokee in the rear, with wraparound taillamps bridged by a chrome bar. We haven’t gotten a look at the interior yet, but we expect it to be very similar in style and execution to that of—you guessed it—the new Grand Cherokee.
What’s in a Badge?
This new Durango also marks the debut of a new Dodge logo. Recall that Ram has (sort of) been pulled out as its own brand within the Chrysler empire, and that the Durango will be lumped in with the car offerings. So Rams and Dakotas keep the ram’s head logo and the Dodge lineup goes to a similarly shaped crest with “Dodge” centered over crosshairs.
We also noticed that the Durango pictured here wears Citadel badges on the back as well as on the front doors. The folks at Dodge won’t tell us what Citadel means, but it’s clearly a trim level for the SUV—we’d venture to guess that it’s the highest, given all of the brightwork and big wheels. (The Citadel name previously was used on a Chrysler concept that presaged the production Pacifica.) Let’s just hope the other Durango trim names were selected with more thought than those for the rest of Dodge’s current lineup—recent trademark filings for Durango Heat and Durango Express do not have us hopeful, however.
The Durango will come with a full complement of airbags and also will offer blind-spot monitoring, forward-collision warning, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-path detection, and keyless entry and start. It will go on sale toward the end of 2010 as a 2011 model. Based on our positive experiences with the new Grand Cherokee, this Durango seems far better equipped to battle the Honda Pilots and Mazda CX-9s of the world than anything that’s ever worn a Dodge badge.
Youtube link..SPY SHOTS ONLY....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8vYYRPaALI&feature=related
